Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow

Part Two of Two : Ms. Beckman's "Negro Leagues" Series

"I gave Emmet Jr. that ball. I hope it reminds him of who he can be." - pp. 85

Satchel Paige: Striking out Jim Crow

 Written and illustrated by Jason Sturm and Rich Tomasso

 Published by Jump at the Sun Hyperion Copyright 2007  

 

  unique approach to the subject, sports, rich in morals, action, diversity  

 Awards: 

• 2008 Eisner Award Winner:
• Best Reality-Based Work

• 2008 Glyph Comics Award Winner:
• Best Character
• Best Writer
  

• 2008 Eisner Award Nominee:
• Best Publication for Teens
• Best Reality-Based Work
• Best Writer

• VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocate): Nonfiction Honor List

• 39th NAACP Award Nominee for Best Literary Work - Youth/Teens

• A 2007 CYBIL Awards Nominee for Best Graphic Novel

• A 2008 New York Book Show Award Recipient

• A Junior Library Guild selection

 

Summary:  

This graphic novel about Satchel Paige takes a unique approach to biography: the story is told from the perspective of another baseball player in the negro leagues, one who crosses paths with Satchel Paige at different points in his life. The story is told in a way that readers will understand the impact of Paige on other African-Americans, and even America as a whole. It also touches upon the discrimination and violence that sharecroppers faced from their landowners, but ends with an inspiring win for the Negro team, and a reminder of legacy within families for a better future. 

    

Reading Level: Lexile Framework not listed, but, between 600 and 1070, DRA level 60, Grade 4.6

Suggested Delivery: Independent read 

Description: Graphic novel, diversity, sports, historical-fiction   

Key Vocabulary (by page number):  sharecropper (2), negro (2), ricochets (17), trussed (40) "you know you licked..." (79). Words that must be addressed - lynching (37), the N-word (74)

**A good resource for historical terms is The Bedford Glossary for U.S. History, which contains brief descriptions of over 500 history terms, including "sharecropping" and "lynching."**

Teaching Suggestions: 

1. I suggest that this book be taught along with my previous entry, We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, giving students the opportunity to independently study an aspect of the subject on their own. This is only one example of the many resources out there for students to look into, but this being one of the more unique choices. 
2. Students would benefit from a discussion about the difference between sharecropping and slavery...and how they really weren't all that different.
3. Like with We are the Ship, Striking out Jim Crow has a unique format that helps readers to understand history. Ask students why they think this story works (or does not work) as a graphic novel. Talk about how the story would be different if it was not in comic-book style, but written more traditionally.

Comprehension Strategies

Using this book as a companion piece to a read aloud gives students the opportunity to research the subject more deeply on their own, while still learning the basics of the subject as a group . Below are some activities that will help students get the most out of their research.

Pre-Reading-  This activity will work with any biography that a student chooses on a player. After students have an idea of what the Negro Leagues is, ask students why they think it is important to research individual players. Write these reasons on the board. If students do not address these issues themselves, make sure that students understand that the unit will be a theme of legacy, those who came before us, that people from history should be celebrated and remembered because they were just kids once too. This may help students identify with the players, which will increase comprehension. 

During Reading- Some events in the novel may be confusing to students because the narrator says things that happen without explaining why they happen, or without saying the whole truth. For example, on page 34, the narrator says that the school for African-American students runs out of money whenever its time for harvest, giving students time to pick cotton in the fields. Some questions to ask students as they read could include: Do you think that it is a coincidence that the landowners run out of money just when the cotton is ready for picking? Why do you think the landowners do this? These questions are important for understanding, but could be addressed as simply as during a one-on-one reading check.

Post-Reading- As mentioned in the previous entry, all students will be performing a brief presentation on the player of their choice. To help students organize their information, students can create their own baseball cards about the players! The cards could include a brief bio on the back (including birthday, hometown, baseball team, their position, etc.), a fun fact about the player, and three other facts about the player, or if there is no other information, about the Negro Leagues. Students can draw a picture of the player as well. The cards could be posted around the class, or even around the school!

Writing Activity: In a journal response format, students should respond to the most powerful scene in the novel, where the narrator's son, Emmet Jr., is targeted by the landowners for going to school instead of picking cotton in the fields. At first Emmet Jr. continues to attend school, but then he is captured by the landowners and injured. After that, Emmet Jr. picks cotton with his father in the fields. With so much helplessness and emotion in these pages (31-43), students should not breeze over them. Taking time to respond will help students to understand what is really going on here.

Satchel Paige

Electronic Resources:

Center for Cartoon Studies Resources
The Center for Cartoon Studies, the group that created and published this book along with an increasing number of other biographical graphic novels, has created a Teacher's Guide for Striking out Jim Crow. The guide includes discussion questions, an author interview, and even sample and draft pages (or as they call them, "Paiges"!) for teachers to review.

Trading Cards that Honor True Greatness
Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, provides many FREE resources on the teaching of diversity and overall tolerance for grades K-12. One of these resources is educator Helen Goren Shafton's lesson "Trading Cards that Honor True Greatness," which is similar to the baseball card activity I have devised above. Shafton provides teachers with talking points and student examples of the cards that they made in her class.  

Sturm, J., & Tommaso, R. (2007). Satchel Paige: striking out Jim Crow. New York, NY: Jump at the Sun: Hyperion.